


no one told you life was gonna be this way

by Emms



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Friends!AU, M/M, References to Drug Use, Underage Drinking, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-09
Updated: 2013-08-09
Packaged: 2017-12-22 20:55:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/917922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emms/pseuds/Emms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>Friends!AU:</b> “You like Louis, don’t you?” Harry asked, his words slurring, and nearly spilled his drink. “Cos I saw you. In school. Saw you at Christmas. You like his butt. ‘s okay, it’s a nice butt.  ‘s too bad he went off with that, that guy, whatshisname, that one with the-“ he gestured wildly and actually threw half his drink out of the cup, “- the hair n’stuff.”</p><p>(Or: The One Where Liam Is Stupidly In Love With His Cousin's Best Friend Louis.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	no one told you life was gonna be this way

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, so you should probably read this before reading the story. There is a bunch of mentioned pairings and side pairings in this that I didn't want to include in the tags because they're not a very important part of the story. But here they are:
> 
> Harry/Louis, Niall/Louis, Niall/Zayn, Liam/OMC, Louis/Eleanor, Niall/OFC - and mentions of Harry/Eleanor, Harry/Nick, Zayn/OFC, Zayn/OMC, Harry/OFC and Harry/OMC, Liam/OFC.
> 
> I also changed their birth years (not dates) a little bit, so to avoid any confusion, Liam is a week or so away from turning 16 when the story begins, Niall is 15 (almost 16), Louis is 14, Harry is 14 and Zayn is 15 (though that isn't relevant in the beginning, it's just so you all can see how his age fits with the others').
> 
> And since it's a Friends!AU, the story is set in America. They're all Americans, soz. (I should also mention that I'm not American and if there are any mistakes school-wise or location-wise, feel free to point them out to me.)

_March 2015_

Liam was absolutely heartbroken. 

He was sitting on the couch doing nothing but staring into thin air. He felt as though there was no reason for him to get up and get anything done anymore. It was pointless. He no longer had Louis in his life and nothing felt right.

His ex-boyfriend Louis had accepted a job in Paris. In Europe. Half-way across the globe. Right at that very moment, the love of Liam’s life was on his way across the Atlantic, on his way to a country that was more than three thousand miles away.

It was wrong. So wrong.

His heart ached painfully at the memory of what had happened at the airport only a few hours earlier…

 

“Hurry up!” Liam cried from the backseat of the car while his friend Niall was desperately trying to get them to the airport in one piece.

“Will you shut up?” His cousin Harry asked, his voice strained.

The rational part of Liam’s brain, the part he was suppressing right now, told him that Niall was driving as fast as he could without risking the lives of all three of them. The irrational part of his brain, however, told him that he had to get to that airport _now_. He had to get to Louis, had to tell him he loved him, had to ask him to stay.

When they finally reached the airport, Liam asked Niall to stop the car.

“Are you mad, I can’t stop the car right here, I have to park-“

“Just drop me off,” Liam said and Niall let out a huff before stopping the car, allowing Liam to practically kick the car door open, get out and slam it after him.

He didn’t mean to be insensitive or rude, honest, but he had _minutes_ left before Louis’ plane would be leaving and he really didn’t have the time to be considerate.

Racing into the airport, he headed for the nearest ticket counter. Thankfully there was no queue and he went right up to the lady saying, “I need a ticket for the plane that’s about to leave for Paris.”

The lady looked at him for a few seconds, then down at her screen and then back up to him. She had a pitying look on her face and gave him a sad smile. What?

“I’m sorry, sir, but there’s no plane for Paris until 3 PM,” she replied.

“No, no, you don’t understand, the plane that leaves at 11.30, I need a ticket for that one,” he urged her and then added a quick ‘please’ because she was, after all, the one who was going to give him a ticket.

“The last plane for Paris left at 10; the next one is at 3. I’m sorry, sir, but there’s no plane leaving for Paris in between. Have you got the information wrong?”

No, no, no, she was wrong. She had to be wrong. Louis’ plane was definitely leaving at 11.30; he knew that, he was certain of it. 11.30, at Newark airport.

Liam froze.

Newark airport.

He was at JFK.

Fuck.

For a couple of moments, he was completely quiet, despairing realization clawing his insides. Then he turned around and ran. He didn’t care that he accidentally pushed a middle aged woman and almost made her fall over, he didn’t care that people were yelling after him, he just didn’t care. 

He wanted Louis and for every second that went by, the chance of getting him, of reaching him before his plane left, was getting slimmer.

He cursed loudly when he didn’t immediately see Harry and Niall as he got out of the airport. His heart was beating impossibly fast, he felt as though the world was spinning and he was sure he was mere seconds away from getting a panic attack. 

“Liam, what are you – oh shit, what happened?” 

The sound of Niall’s voice made him spin around and look at his two friends, both wearing identical worried expressions on their faces. 

“He’s not here. He’s at Newark. We need to-, _I_ need to-,”

“I’ll get the car, you calm him down,” Niall mumbled, turned around and headed in the opposite direction as Harry stepped into his personal space, trying his best to get Liam to calm down. 

 

A couple of minutes later they were sitting in the car; Niall in front and Harry in the back with Liam.

“Harry, you need to call him. Please call him, tell him to not get on the plane. Please,” Liam pleaded, knowing that Louis would either be boarding or already be on the plane and that there was no way that they would reach him in time.

“Liam…” Harry started, “don’t you think it’s best if you do it yourself?”

Liam shook his head. “No. I can’t tell him this over the phone. I just need more time. Please, call him. Make something up.”

“Alright,” Harry sighed.

 

Louis had just gotten seated in the plane when his phone went off and he made a mental note to remember to turn it off. He saw Harry’s name flash across the screen and smiled to himself; God, he was going to miss him, miss all of them. Paris was going to be a challenge. He knew absolutely no one there, and hell, he couldn’t even speak the language (‘give me another margarita’ didn’t count, he thought). 

But he only had one life and he wasn’t about to let this opportunity pass. He had worked his ass off and this was his reward – the dream job in the country of fashion.

“Hi,” Louis said as he put the phone to his ear.

“Louis! Shit, Louis, hi, you need to get off the plane.”

Louis let out a short chuckle. “Nice to talk to you too, Harry.”

“I’m _serious_. I have a feeling that there’s something wrong with the plane!” 

Harry was all but yelling and Louis didn’t know whether to find it annoying or sweet. The latter, probably, because he knew that this was just Harry’s twisted attempt to make him stay. 

“The plane is fine, Harry, don’t worry,” Louis replied and didn’t miss the guy next to him, the way his head snapped up. “I’ll call you when I get there, I promise.”

“No! No! Louis, I swear to God, there’s something wrong with the plane! I have a feeling that there’s something wrong with the left phalange!” Harry said rather frantically, like he was afraid Louis was going to hang up. 

“I know you want me to stay. But I’m going. I’ll call you every day, Harry. I’ll miss you, you know I will. But I’m going. And I have to hang up now. I’ll speak to you when I get there.”

As the volume of Harry’s voice increased, Louis made a snap decision to hang up. He didn’t need second thoughts. This was what he wanted to do. Dream job. Paris. Fashion. Life goal. This was what he was meant to do. Right?

“I’m sorry, who was that?” the guy (who for the record had been staring intensely at Louis for almost a minute, God, that was annoying) asked and Louis just shrugged, an amused smile on his lips.

“Just my crazy friend. He thinks there’s something wrong with the plane. Something about the left phalange.” Louis explained in a light tone, trying to get the guy to understand that his friend was just being weird, that there was nothing to worry about.

“Okay, that’s doesn’t sound good.” The guy stated, and Louis thought he sounded rather nervous. 

God, he couldn’t have a nervous guy sitting next to him and bugging him about it all the way to Paris. The flight was long enough as it was.

“Nah, I wouldn’t worry about it. He always comes up with this kind of weird stuff and you know what? He’s almost never right.” 

Louis knew that from the second he said ‘almost’ that he had made a huge mistake. And he was right.

“But he is sometimes?” He pressed.

“Well…” Louis hesitated and unfortunately, that did it for the guy who then got up and opened the hand luggage department.

One thing led to another and suddenly every passenger left because of the missing phalange. Louis was going to kill Harry the next time he saw him.

 

By the time they got there, Liam was relieved to see that Louis’ flight had been postponed, although they were boarding. They went directly up to the ticket counter, got three tickets and then hurried through the airport and past the security. 

They got to the gate five minutes later than they originally would have if they hadn’t trusted Harry with finding the right gate. By that time, the queue was nearly empty, only ten or fifteen people left waiting to board.

Just as Liam was about to fear that they were too late, he spotted a short, brown-haired figure that he would recognize even in his sleep. Louis. And he was in the front of the line, handing his boarding pass and passport to the man at the desk. 

Niall clapped his shoulder a couple of times, grabbed Harry’s wrist to prevent him from following along and said:

“Go get our boy, Liam.”

Liam nodded and sent his two friends a small smile before shouting out Louis’ name to get his attention and hurrying past the line of people. He was greeted by Louis’ very surprised face.

“Liam?” Louis asked, a bit unsure. “What are you-, what are you doing here?”

“Don’t go, Louis. Please, don’t get on the plane,” he pleaded. “I’m so in love with you, please don’t go. I know I should have said something earlier, that I shouldn’t have waited until now, that was stupid. But please, stay with me. Don’t go. I love you so much, Louis, please.”

“Oh my god,” Louis said, his breaths coming short and shallow. 

The people around them were seemingly getting tired of waiting because the man by the desk cleared his throat and asked Louis if he was planning on boarding.

“I…” Louis looked at the man and then back at Liam, looking utterly split.

The man again tried to urge Louis to get a move on and Liam had never felt more desperate in his life. He grabbed a hold of Louis’ hands and put them to his chest.

“I know you love me, Louis. Don’t go.”

Louis then shook his head and pulled his hands back while Liam felt his entire world fall apart. 

“I-, I have to go,” he said and Liam shook his head.

“No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do,” Louis replied, voice dripping with pity. “People are waiting for me in Paris, I have to go. I’m sorry. I have to go.”

“Louis…” Liam pleaded again, watching helplessly as Louis walked backwards towards the desk and accepted his passport and boarding pass.

“I’m sorry,” Louis repeated with a look in his eyes that told Liam that this was painful for him too. “I’m sorry.”

And with that, Louis turned away and walked through the door that would lead him to the plane and Liam’s heart was breaking a little more for every second that Louis didn’t come back.

*

_August 2002_

“Louis, this is my cousin!”

Liam had only been a junior for a few hours and his fourteen-year-old cousin Harry had already tracked him down. Luckily for Liam, he had also already made a friend (which was more than he did on his first day) which meant that Harry probably wouldn’t cling to him like Liam had secretly feared he would.

The kid next to Harry gave Liam a sort of awkward wave.

“Hey, I’m Louis,” he said but made no move for any sort of physical contact.

Louis was kind of cute, kind of attractive, Liam thought (in a totally heterosexual way, of course) and was willing to bet that once he matured a bit more, the girls would be all over him. 

“Hey,” he said, “I’m Liam.”

That was the first time Liam met Louis. 

*

_December 2002_

Liam wasn’t gay. He wasn’t. So what if he’d walked in on Louis heavily making out with the brown-haired girl he’d been hanging all over all night (not that Liam had been watching or anything)? So what if he been standing there watching the way Louis’ hips moved as he was slowly grinding against her? So what if he’d been a little turned on? So what? 

It was natural. It was, really. He was a teenage boy, he couldn’t control his hormones. It didn’t mean anything.

(And if he jerked off to the memory of it later that night, well, nobody ever needed to know that.)

*

January 2003

It had taken Liam a month to come to terms with the fact that he liked guys as well. He sort of had his ‘big gay freak out’ during New Year’s Eve (which, really, was the worst New Year’s Eve in history) but then realized that while he did find some guys incredibly attractive, namely one, he had also been attracted to enough girls to know that he was attracted to girls as well.

And after admitting his bisexuality to himself, Liam simply could not stop his crush on Louis from growing bigger and bigger every time he saw him.

*

_July 2003_

Niall and Liam were smoking pot in Niall’s room one afternoon when Liam came out to him.

“Good on you, man,” Niall replied before taking another drag, handing over the joint.

“You’re not going to ask if I’ve got a big gay crush on you?” Liam asked, a bit surprised that Niall was taking it so well, even though they had been best friends for a couple of years now.

“Nah, Li, I’ve seen the way you look at that kid your cousin hangs with. Kind of thought there might be something there,” Niall said, shrugging.

“Ah,” Liam nodded. “Cool.”

*

_March 2004_

Liam was graduating soon. Just a couple of more months and he’d be off to college with Niall. He wasn’t entirely sure whether he was looking forward to it or not. On one hand, he’d never really been popular (unlike his cousin who had gone right ahead and charmed the entire school with his curly hair and dimples) so he wasn’t going to miss it that much.

Louis, though…

Liam knew it was silly. But he’d been sort of used to seeing Louis somewhere at the school during the day, whether it was in the cafeteria or outside or in the hallways. Sort of used to hoping that one day Louis would magically notice how crazy Liam actually was about him. 

It’d never happen, though, because Louis had a girlfriend, a girl named Eleanor, and he was straight and he was two years younger than Liam and Liam was heading off to college as soon as summer was over. It just wasn’t meant to be.

*

_September 2004_

Danielle was a year Liam’s senior and she was everything he wanted and needed at that point in his life. After running into her several times during his first week of college, he knew that he needed to make her his. And after a lot of encouraging words from Niall, he finally asked her out a month later and got a blinding smile and a happy ‘yes’ in return.

As he got ready for their first date, he let his mind wander back to Louis and couldn’t help but feel happy about finally getting over him. It was no use to dwell on a childhood crush when he could be making memories with a wonderful girl like Danielle, after all.

*

_December 2004_

“You really are a big college guy now, aren’t you? Shaved your hair and everything,” Harry said with a wide grin after pulling back from the hug he’d surprised Liam with when popping over for a quick visit on Christmas Eve.

“Suppose so.”

“Shame,” Harry commented. “I liked your curls. But I guess you gotta go from being a high school boy to being a college guy somehow.”

Liam had liked his curls too and the buzz cut had been a snap decision shortly before starting college. As much as he’d enjoyed his last hair cut, it did make him look young. And when starting college; that certainly wasn’t the look he was going for. He wanted to be mature, grown-up, a man. 

Besides, Danielle liked it.

“How’s school?” Liam asked.

“Same old,” Harry replied. “Can’t wait to get out of there, though. Louis and I are planning a trip to Europe.”

Louis.

Liam was annoyed to feel his stomach flutter at the mention of him. It had been six months and he was in a relationship, one that was going fairly well; he should not be feeling like this anymore.

He shrugged it off. It was just a childhood crush, nothing else.

“Sure you can afford that?”

“Nah. But it’s a nice thought. Gets his thoughts away from-, ah, well, guess you haven’t heard about that yet.”

Liam didn’t get to ask about it before Harry filled him in.

“Him and Eleanor, they broke up. Personal reasons, I shouldn’t… Eh, well, basically he’s not in a good place right now,” Harry explained, a sympathetic look appearing on his face.

“Oh,” was all Liam said.

He wanted to ask for the full story but managed to suppress the urge. God, was it difficult. He wanted to know exactly what had happened to visibly make Louis that unhappy. Surely a break-up, even one that ended a two-year relationship, wouldn’t be bad enough for Harry to pull that face. But he couldn’t ask. Louis and him… they weren’t even friends. Prying in his personal affairs would be inappropriate.

In the end, Harry left with a promise to Liam’s mother of coming by again soon and Liam was left wondering what the hell had happened to Louis.

*

_August 2005_

Liam had just turned nineteen and he had also just gotten engaged. He had bought Danielle a decent ring, one that was pretty but still affordable, and he’d gotten down on one knee and asked her to spend the rest of her life with him. He didn’t know why the need to put a ring on her finger was so big. He was crazy about her, no doubt, but there was also a nagging voice in his head that reminded him that she was both older and less of a loser than he was. That she might one day find someone else.

So he proposed to her. And she said yes.

*

_December 2005_

“Harry is coming over later,” Liam’s mother said in the passing as she was carrying the Christmas dinner into the dining room. “He just wants to pop by and wish us a merry Christmas. Good kid, he is.”

Liam hadn’t heard from Harry since… well, since last Christmas, really. They no longer went to the same school and Liam was rarely home, leaving them no time for meeting and catching up.

“He comes by every year at Christmas, mom,” Liam pointed out, only to have his mom shush him.

“Still, Liam. He’s… what is he, eighteen?”

“He’s seventeen,” Liam replied. “His birthday’s in February.”

“Ah, well,” she said with a smile. “Regardless, you know boys his age – they’re far too busy with their friends and their underage drinking to bother visiting their aunt and uncle as much as Harry does.”

It was true, though. Harry popped by every Christmas and had never missed a birthday. And from what his mother had told him, he’d been quite a regular around the house since Liam had been away. Liam wondered why Harry bothered – there was no one in the house but his mother and father, no other cousins and no one his age.

Well, Liam thought, Harry _had_ spent the majority of his childhood in this house. But still.

“I guess.”

 

Later, after dinner and dessert, the doorbell rang. His mother urged him to ‘get off his butt and go open the door’ and he couldn’t really see any way around it. He got up off his comfortable spot on the couch and went to get Harry at the door. Only Harry hadn’t come alone, no.

After opening the door, revealing Harry and Louis, Liam did nothing but stare until Louis let out an awkward chuckle and said:

“You gonna let us in or what, then?”

“Of course,” Liam muttered and hurriedly moved to the side so they could get inside. 

“Growing your hair out again, are you?” Harry grinned before pulling Liam into an embrace. “Good, because I fucking hated the buzz cut.”

“Thanks.”

Harry’s grin widened at the sour tone. “You’re welcome, man.”

Liam excused himself and immediately went to his room. Louis wasn’t supposed to be here. He wasn’t supposed to be here and he was _certainly_ not supposed to be this hot.

Correction, Louis wasn’t hot. He was a fucking wet dream. In the year and a half that Liam hadn’t seen him, Louis had seemingly grown out of his boyish looks and into a, well, a young man. A twink.

Going downstairs again turned out to be a terribly bad idea. When he entered the kitchen, Louis and Harry were in deep conversation with his parents and as if Louis’ matured body wasn’t enough, he was leaning slightly over the stove, giving Liam a perfect view of his ass. 

Oh, holy shit.

He wanted to tear his gaze away so badly but it was right there and it was round and big and perfectly formed and oh God, he would give anything to just…

No. Danielle. He was dating-, he was _engaged_ to Danielle. He couldn’t be thinking about Louis in that way, absolutely not.

Finally looking away, he caught Harry staring at him, an amused smile on his lips and a raised eyebrow. Damn. Liam felt his cheeks heat up and he was sure that he was blushing from head to toe so rather than stick around for Harry’s reaction to his cousin ogling his best friend’s ass, he spun around and hurried back upstairs.

He didn’t come down until they had gone.

*

_February 2006_

“You like Louis, don’t you?” Harry asked, his words slurring, and nearly spilled his drink. “Cos I saw you. In school. Saw you at Christmas. You like his butt. ‘s okay, it’s a nice butt. ‘s too bad he went off with that, that guy, whatshisname, that one with the-“ he gestured wildly and actually threw half his drink out of the cup, “- the hair n’stuff.”

It was Harry’s 18th birthday and Liam couldn’t get out of going. He knew Louis was going to be there and he also knew that it was bad idea. 

And as usual, he’d been right. Not only did he find out that Louis liked guys but he’d also been witness to him making out with a guy on the terrace for ages before they finally decided to take things elsewhere (he may or may not have been watching them from the inside through a window the entire time, his entire body burning with jealousy).

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Harry,” Liam replied. 

It didn’t matter what Harry was saying and it didn’t matter what Liam replied, not really, because Harry was already so far gone (the eighteen shots had hit hard) and wouldn’t even remember this conversation in the morning.

“You’re lying. Liar,” Harry said somewhat accusingly. “Why are you lying? Stop lying. Don’t like liars.”

“Not lying,” Liam claimed, not really feeling up to dealing with a drunken Harry right now, especially not if he was going to question him about Louis.

“You are,” he huffed and finished the rest of his drink before continuing. “I won’t tell him. Cos he’s… well. And you’re… you know.”

“He’s cool and I’m a loser, yeah, got it.”

Harry looked offended and then shook his head furiously twice before probably realizing that it made the entire world spin when he did that.

“No, no, no, no. He’s just. He’s mine. And you’re mine. But you’re separate. Two worlds. He’s my, my friend. And you’re family. Don’t mix,” he rambled and had trouble finding the right words. “’s okay, though. Had a lot time to adjust. ‘s okay. You like him and that, that’s cool.”

“I’m also engaged, Harry.”

Harry’s eyes grew wide at that. Oh. 

“You’re engaged?” he asked. “But…”

Liam bit his lip and nodded. “Thought you knew.”

“Uh, _no_?” 

“Well,” he said, “now you do.”

He’d been sure that his mom would have told Harry over Christmas. Granted, she wasn’t ecstatic that he was engaged to be married while he was this young but she accepted it nevertheless. 

“To _who_? When and how long? But you _can’t_ be. You like Louis.”

Liam scratched the back of his head. He really should get himself one of those Facebook things Harry had texted him about a while ago. Most of his friends had one but Liam had held off because he didn’t particularly want to put his personal information and personal life on the internet for everyone to see. But in this case, putting his personal life on the internet might have been a good thing, at least Harry would have known about the engagement.

“Her name’s Danielle and we’ve been together for a year and a half. Got engaged in August last year,” Liam explained.

Harry looked shocked, like he hadn’t even been aware that Liam was involved with anyone. Which he might not even have been, now that Liam really thought about it. They’d only seen each other a few times over the last two years, the first time he’d been more interested in Louis than in parading the fact that he had an amazing girlfriend in front of Harry and the second time he’d stayed in his room because, well, because of Louis.

“Are you f’real?” Harry asked and Liam nodded.

“Shit,” he cursed. “Crap.”

“Language,” Liam said before he could stop himself, making Harry snort.

“I just thought… You’ve liked Louis since, since _school_. I gotta. I gotta just,” Harry said, gesturing randomly with his hands before leaving Liam’s side and disappearing out of sight.

He didn’t see Harry again until his graduation.

 

(He did keep in touch with Harry, though. Sort of. Kept himself updated on his life through the Facebook site that he finally managed to join. He learned lots of things, for example that Harry changed his relationship status as often as his clothes and that Harry wasn’t at all embarrassed about or hiding the fact that he liked to have a drink or ten (the countless drunken photos he was tagged in was proof of that).

He quickly found out that Louis was on Facebook too. And from his Facebook page, Liam learned that taking his shirt off when he was drunk was a thing that Louis did fairly often. The countless (and highly arousing) photos were proof of that.)

*

_June 2006_

Liam had had the worst day in history. He wanted to get in bed and not get out until he was another person or the day had somehow been redone. 

First, he’d gone to Harry’s (and Louis’) graduation. That part had gone well, except for the fact that he spent the entire time fantasizing about taking Louis somewhere, an old classroom, bending him a desk and giving him the ride of his life. Or Louis could ride him in the teacher’s chair, God, that would be hot.

It should terrify him that he no longer felt bad about imagining him and Louis getting it on. But it didn’t. The fact that he had a fiancée no longer bothered him (and hadn’t bothered him for a while) and that should probably have been the first hint. 

Later, he went back to the apartment he and Danielle shared. 

“We need to talk,” she said when he entered the living room.

So he sat down and let her talk. She wanted to break up. She was sorry. She didn’t feel like he wanted this, wanted them. She was unhappy, had been for a while, apparently. She was sorry. She had already arranged that she could stay with a friend until she found her own place. (He noticed that she was no longer wearing her ring – and he didn’t know why expected her to, she’d clearly had this planned for a while.) She was sorry, so sorry. She had started looking at other guys, she said, she wanted to flirt, wanted to _feel_. But she never cheated, not once. She didn’t think it was fair to keep the relationship going, not for her, not for him. She was so sorry, wished that things had worked out differently. She still loved him but couldn’t stay. She was sorry.

At last, she pulled him into a hug, kissed him on the cheek and buried her head by the crook of his neck. He could feel her crying. He told her it was okay.

It wasn’t okay. He wasn’t okay. 

She left and he kept sitting there on the couch, staring into thin air, wondering how he’d managed to fuck their relationship up, feeling numb. 

*

_July 2006_

It was without a doubt the worst summer of Liam’s life. He spent half his time lying in bed feeling empty and the other half getting drunk and high with Niall.

He felt pointless. He’d lost the only stable thing he had – Danielle. And why was that, again? Oh, right, because she didn’t feel like he wanted this. And he didn’t, that was the worst part. He loved her, God, he really did, but his heart wasn’t in it. His heart wasn’t with her and their engagement, it was with Louis. It had always been with Louis.

He’d wanted to want a life with her. Wanted to want it so much. But Louis was always there. Whether it was subconsciously or consciously, he was always there. 

He was doomed, he was so doomed. He had had Danielle. Had been hers for nearly two years. And now he didn’t have her anymore, she didn’t have him. And he was alone. Alone with a stupid crush on a stupid teenager who would never give him a second glance.

*

_November 2006_

Liam almost couldn’t believe his own eyes when he logged on Facebook that morning. Of all the things Facebook had decided to put on his newsfeed, this was definitely one that should have escaped his notice.

 **Harry Styles** _is in a relationship with_ **Louis Tomlinson**

He couldn’t believe it. _How_ had that happened? They were best friends, not… not _this_. And Harry was _straight_.

His heart was racing; his breath was coming short and he couldn’t quite make out his emotions. He didn’t know whether he was angry, surprised or sad, probably a bit of everything. 

The longer he stared at it, the angrier he got. He knew that he had no real reason to be angry but that didn’t stop him. Harry knew that Liam liked Louis. He had no right. Granted, Liam hadn’t seen Louis in months, not since the graduation, and hadn’t ever made a move – but still. Harry knew how Liam felt. He knew. He said he’d come to terms with it, that he’d had time to adjust. That didn’t mean he could just go right ahead and _date him_.

The irrational anger only lasted ten minutes. Then the sadness took over. He couldn’t hate Harry for being with Louis. If Louis made him happy and vice versa then… then he’d just have to accept that.

So he sucked it up and left a comment.

 **Liam Payne** _congratulations (:_

*

_December 2006_

It was Christmas Eve and as usual, Harry came by to wish the entire Payne family a merry Christmas. He’d brought Louis along with him because of course he would. Of course. Liam was a hundred percent sure that somewhere up in the sky; someone had it in for him.

While caressing Louis’ hand, Harry told them all the engaging story of his and Louis’ month-long trip to Europe where they stayed in crappy hostels, where they discovered and took part in foreign cultures, where they socialized with new people and made new friends for life, where they ended up falling in love right there under the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Liam’s heart ached painfully.

Harry was so in love. Louis was so in love. Liam couldn’t even bring himself to wish they would break up.

He went to bed that night and willed himself (for the millionth time) to get over Louis once and for all because the look on Louis’ face when he was looking at Harry… Well, Liam never wanted him to stop.

*

_April 2007_

Harry and Louis’ relationship ended early April and none of the two boys were particularly sorry. It had been good for the first month but after that, they realized that they were really just exclusive friends with benefits. They didn’t really think of themselves as a couple and Harry had even told Liam at his birthday in February that calling Louis his boyfriend didn’t really come as naturally as he’d thought it would. They weren’t a couple, not really. Just two best friends who happened to have incredible sex.

So they broke up and went back to being just friends (with the occasional hook-up, Harry told Liam with a wink).

*

_September 2007_

Niall and Liam went to Las Vegas on the weekend of Niall’s 21st birthday. They were lucky, really, that their birthdays were so close because that gave them the possibility of celebrating both of their birthdays at once in the biggest way imaginable. Lots of alcohol, lots of people looking for a good time and lots of parties – it was everything Liam had wanted since they made the pact to go to Vegas on their 21st back in freshman year of high school.

However, when he woke up the next day with a pounding headache and an aching body, he didn’t feel quite so good about it. He couldn’t remember much from last night, only a few glimpses here and there. 

It didn’t take him long to figure out that he wasn’t alone in the hotel bed. No, there was a girl as well, and she was naked. He cursed mentally and prayed that he’d at least had the sense to use protection. 

He got out of bed, put on a pair of briefs and sent the red-haired girl a quick glance before making his way into the bathroom to clear his mind. 

He didn’t reach the bathroom, though, because his glance fell on a piece of paper on the small table by the wall. ‘MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE’, it read, and Liam’s eyes widened.

No…

He picked it up and felt his heart drop, his gut ache and his world spin. Holy shit. No. Fuck.

He’d gotten married to a stranger, a woman from fucking Tennessee named Angela Wright, and _Niall_ , the idiot, had been a witness. 

The woman on the bed was his wife. He was a husband. He was married. _Niall_ had let him marry a complete fucking stranger. Shit. He was screwed, he was so screwed.

 

“Shit,” Niall cursed, looking down at the marriage certificate, “holy shit.”

Liam had called Niall and asked him to kindly get his ass down to the breakfast room because he was freaking out. He’d then left a quick note for Angela telling her where he’d gone and that they needed to talk as soon as possible.

Liam nodded, “I know.”

“It’s…” Niall started, “it’s not so bad.”

The look on Liam’s face made him continue:

“I mean… all we have to do is… to get you an annulment. I think that’s possible, maybe. I mean, none of you were in the position to be consenting to a marriage, right?”

Liam hoped that Niall was right. Because there was just no way that he was going to be 21 and divorced because of a stupid drunken decision. No way. 

*

_October 2007_

Liam was officially no longer married. Angela Wright was no longer his wife and he was no longer her husband. It was history and no one was ever going to know.

(Until two months later, of course, when Niall accidentally told Harry who simply couldn’t _let it go_.)

*

( _December 2007_

Niall was on his own at the New Year’s party. Liam was ill and couldn’t even get out of bed, let alone to go a party. He didn’t really know why he bothered going at all, now that Liam wasn’t going. It wasn’t that they were co-dependent (well, a bit), it was just… _he_ wasn’t actually the one who had been invited, Liam was. Harry and Louis were hosting a party and had told Liam to come and bring some friends. 

After an hour of doing nothing but stand in a corner with a couple of beers, he decided that he might as well just go back and celebrate with Liam in their own apartment. And with that thought, he headed for the hallway.

“Niel! Hey!”

Niall didn’t react immediately because it wasn’t his name but it didn’t take him long to realize that the person was indeed talking to him. Mainly because they took a hold of his wrist and made him turn around.

“Hey, Niel, glad you could make it!” Louis grinned.

Niall smiled slightly and said:

“It’s Niall.”

“Niall,” Louis said, not looking the least bit embarrassed. “Right.”

Louis let go of his wrist and raised a brow.

“You’re not leaving, are you? It’s not even midnight yet!”

Niall shrugged, “don’t really know anyone here. And Liam’s sick, so.”

“You know me. And Harry,” Louis replied. “I’m sure Liam doesn’t mind you staying for a few more hours. He’s probably asleep.”

Niall didn’t know what it was, maybe it was look in Louis’ eyes, maybe it was something else, but he stayed. Louis grinned widely as he dragged him into the living room and gave him another beer.

Louis didn’t leave his side again, not even when the midnight countdown began. No, instead Louis grabbed his hand and said:

“Kiss me at midnight?”

Niall nodded, even though he knew he shouldn’t. It wasn’t as much the fact that he was straight (mostly, anyway) as it was the fact that he was well aware that his best friend was head over heels for this guy. Niall really shouldn’t… but he did it, anyway.

And if he let Louis blow him in the bathroom later, well, then that was just another thing for him to keep from Liam.)

*

_June 2008_

To celebrate their graduation, Niall and Liam moved to Manhattan. Long Island had been their home for 21 years and the thought of leaving it _did_ make both of them sad. 

But they couldn’t be stuck there forever. Besides, Liam’s grandmother had just passed away and had left them a great apartment near Central Park. 

It took them two days to unpack everything. Two days and then their life in Manhattan had officially begun. They felt like grown-ups. 

It wasn’t until they went to properly christen their keys (it was dumb but still) that they met their nearest neighbor. The guy opened the door to his apartment just as Liam was struggling to get the key in the hole and Niall was standing next to him saying ‘put it in, put it in’.

Liam could easily see why that made the guy raise his eyebrows and smirk at them. He cleared his throat and made both Niall and Liam freeze and turn around, both having identical blushes on their cheeks.

The guy was ridiculously good-looking. And Liam wasn’t ashamed to admit that if the guy said the words, Liam wouldn’t think twice about getting on his knees for him. Even with Niall there. In public. That was how fucking good-looking the guy was.

“I’m Zayn,” the guy – Zayn – said, “and I assume you’re the ones who just moved in?”

“Yes,” Liam replied immediately. “I’m Liam. This is Niall.”

“Nice to meet you,” Zayn said with a blinding smile. “Well… I’ll let you get back to what you were doing.”

With a wink, he disappeared back into his apartment. 

“It’s almost ridiculous how good-looking that guy is,” Niall mumbled lowly, almost as though he was afraid Zayn would somehow hear them. 

Liam nodded, “yeah.”

*

_July 2008_

They had only known him for a month yet Zayn was already a regular around their apartment. They’d learned that Zayn had roots in Pakistan, that he had a lot of sisters, that he was an (out of work) actor, that he lived alone and that he brought quite a lot of people back to his apartment.

Despite the initial attraction Liam didn’t really feel all that into Zayn. Would he be up for a fuck if he met Zayn in a bar? Without a doubt. Would he be up for a fuck or more with Zayn now after having been friends with him for a month? No, probably not.

Niall and Zayn especially really hit it off. Niall told Liam one night that it was like Zayn was a puzzle piece that he had been missing. Liam agreed; Zayn fit right into their lives like he had been there all along. 

*

_October 2008_

Harry wanted to move to Manhattan. And he wanted to stay with Liam and Niall. 

“Absolutely not,” Liam replied immediately, noting the disappointment on Harry’s face. 

Honestly, what had the kid expected? That he could just show up and that they’d have enough room for a third person? No way.

“Liam…” Niall said, leaning against the kitchen counter. “If I – “

“Don’t you ever dare suggest that you move out, Niall, or I swear to God…” Liam mumbled rather threateningly. 

“Listen, man. If I move into Zayn’s spare room, Harry can have mine,” Niall proposed and Harry’s face immediately lit up.

“I’ll help pay rent and everything,” Harry said, backing Niall up.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. He couldn’t have his college drop-out cousin staying with him. That wasn’t the idea of this whole move to Manhattan. 

“But what about Louis, why don’t you get an apartment with him?” Liam asked, giving it one last try. 

Harry’s entire mood changed immediately; he shrugged and looked down for a few seconds. Sadness was radiating off him.

“We don’t really talk anymore. Don’t know, we grew apart, I guess. I dropped out and he’s still… He has other friends now, you know. It’s okay.”

Liam stared. 

“Besides, he’s planning to move to London at the end of the year. Gonna take a year abroad, I think. Student exchange or something, don’t really know.”

That did it.

“You can stay here, Harry,” he said with a nod. “Don’t worry.”

Harry lit up in a wide smile and pulled him into a tight hug, whispering ‘thank you’ in his ear. Maybe it was going to be okay, Liam thought.


End file.
